Classes
The population of Shangrila is divided into four castes: Master/Mistress The Masters and Mistresses of Shangrila are at the very top of the food chain when it comes to the government and the running of the city's affairs. They are the only ones allowed to possess more than one slave, having specific training to do so, with rights to property beyond those of a Denizen or Citizen. Although they enjoy an elevated status, they have no more right to order around another freeperson, Denizen or Citizen, than they would one of their own. The only exception to that rule is if the Master or Mistress holds a titled position and even then, their authority comes from their office rather than their position in the social strata. Flagrant abuses of power by titled nobles within Shangrila has always been frowned upon and dealt with harshly by the Prince and High Priestess of the city, who ultimately have unfettered control over the city's institutions - if not often exercised. Yet on the flip side, those titled positions are ones of respect and admiration, lending much prestige to those worthy enough to hold them. Opportunities to be a part of government and civil service in Shangrila runs are open to any and all Masters and Mistresses who wish to embark on such a path. However, many such positions are decided upon by the voting public. While a lesser freeperson may be unable to acquire those offices themselves, they may be heard in who they vote for and thus, the better treated the population is by a candidate, the more likely said candidate will be voted for by the masses. This becomes particularly apparent around the time of votes of confidence and reelection for incumbent politicians. While many Masters and Mistresses come upon their status through inheritance, there are a number of other ways for a freeperson to attain such status. Citizen The typical citizen of Shangrila was fortunate enough to have been born and bred in the mythical city. Most, having grown to maturity among the rather carefree moral values of the dream world, lack the inhibitions of some of their mortal counterparts. There is always an exception to the rule, however, and although Shangrila may seem to be a Utopia in many respects, it still harbors its own dark underbelly that can have a similarly negative impact upon the well-being of a youngling's general makeup. The growth cycle of native children occurs as it would anywhere else but the moment a child finally reaches adulthood, the normal degrading process of cells in the body simply does not occur in Shangrila and thus, growing into old age is unheard of. Not all citizens are born here in the dream lands. New arrivals, called 'denizens' as a catchall term for all non-citizen, non-slave residents of the city, can earn the right to citizenship through a process of naturalization. Regardless of the origin of their civilian status, all citizens enjoy the basic rights to freedom, property ownership, a stipend from the Prince's largesse, the right to own a single slave, and a say in the political process of the city's government. While the Prince has always retained the right to rule by decree, his Council of advisors, his dukes and duchesses, are all elected and elevated to their stature by the will of the people. While a citizen cannot hold political office, ambitious urbanites can seek the title of Master or Mistress through a number of channels in order to further their political aims. Denizen The term 'denizen' encompasses a great variety of peoples and creatures not native to Shangrila, residing in or around the city of dreams yet remaining apart from its society and officialdom. An arcane and little-understood mixture of magical formulae and cryptic mathematical design keeps the portal running at all times when not put to any specific use, opening paths to random and unknowable places, bypassing the boundaries of time, location and dimension. An infinite diversity of beings are subject to the portal's call, the only constant among these potential arrivals being that the journey changes them in some way, perhaps subtle and finite or extreme and fundamental, altering the physical, mental or otherwise. No creature enters the land of Dreams untouched by its power. Further, for the duration of their stay in Shangrila, any natural aging process is immediately halted. 'Denizen' is a catchall term for any non-native freeperson living in the Land of Dreams; not a slave, but not a citizen in the eyes of the government. They have no intrinsic civil rights and hold on to their freedom only by their own efforts. While technically subject to enslavement by members of the Slavers' Guild at any time, many have learned to keep a low profile or otherwise make themselves undesirable as slave stock and avoided that fate. A considerable portion of the city's population remains in this neither here nor there state, living on the fringe of society by choice or achieving citizenship at some later date. While non-citizens, the situation of denizens is a tenuous one -- they enjoy many of the benefits of a freeperson, such as the right to property, stipend and the ownership of a single slave, yet have little accountability or responsibility to the government as a citizen would, save for its laws. Denizens have limited influence over the political process within the city, and must tread carefully to avoid seeing their freedom stripped from them. It is a lifestyle some choose, and some choose to leave behind as quickly as they can. Slave The slaves of Shangrila share a multitude of origins, but a singular fate: stripped of their freedom and rights, they exist only as valued chattel of their owner, be that a freeperson, Master, Mistress, guild, business or other institution. A slave may be born into bondage, brought through the portal by an owner from another land, captured in the wild by a Slavers Guild caravan, enslaved as a city denizen by an officer of the Slavers, sentenced to indentured servitude for crimes committed against the city or as recompense to another freeperson, or, on occasion, accept life as a slave as a personal choice. Private ownership generally falls under one of two categories: if the property of a freeperson such as a citizen or denizen a slave is often referred to as a 'pet', as their owners are allowed to own only one slave at any time. Masters or Mistresses, however, are allowed to own as many slaves as they wish, limited only by their ambition, wealth and personal preference. Whether pet or slave, there is no difference in the life of a servant. The slave enjoys no rights to personal property, freedom, or choice. The business of buying and selling slaves is overseen by the Slavers' Guild, supported by royal decree, and they have a hand in administrating and cataloguing every slave trade carried on in the city, ensuring the proper handling of slave stock and that documentation of ownership is produced for each transaction. When a slave is brought in from outside the Land of Dreams by its owner through the portal, the Guild provides papers to prove holding of title for said slave, and no one may contest the right of that owner. The importation, preparation and sale of slaves is big business for the Slavers Guild, who keep a regular flow of fresh new stock coming through the portal via their caravans - highly trained teams of Slavers who seek out, capture and return promising specimens for the use of the city and its residents. After being taken captive, a new slave is brought through the portal to the Guild's Processing Center, where they are cleaned, examined, and categorized according to their skills and merits. Depending on the results of their trials, they may be sent to the Gold Mines for hard labor, sold to a third party to keep the Guild's strongboxes heavy with coin, kept on with the Slavers Guild to fill out their own staff, traded to other Guilds or Houses for favors, or, most dreaded of all, sent to the Temple of Oblivion for their uses. The rumors of the Temple's penchant for blood sacrifice and horrific tortures are among the first things to reach a fresh captive's ears. The slave's experience from that point on, as they pass from confinement within the Processing Center onto a new life under a new owner, depends entirely upon their buyer.